Peter Uihlein and Dougherty could not make it to the Open Championship
In England, qualifying rounds were held for the Open Championship. There were a few unexpected names in the list of those who successfully qualified for the Open.
Players like Dale Whitnell, who won at the Hillside GC qualifier, Warren Bennett and Steve Tiley had qualified.
At the West Lancashire GC, it was Steven Alker who emerged victorious out of a four-man playoff that was needed to settle the last two qualifying spots.
Pinckney and O'Hara held their nerve during the intense playoff to seal their place at the Open.
At Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club, it was Dane Morten who took away the title but a three-man playoff was needed to fulfill the final two spots. Saltman and Keenan finished the playoff in style and secured their berths at the Open.
There were a few surprises at Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club, as Peter Uihlein and Nick Dougherty failed to qualify for the mega event.
High hopes were pinned on these two, as they were among the favourites to make it to the Royal Lytham and St. Annes golf course.
The 2005 U.S Open champion Michael Campbell also fell short.
Uihlein, a former world number one amateur golfer, after turning pro last year, did not show much promise.
This year, on the PGA Tour, he has appeared twice but could not make the cut in both the events. Uihlein’s main focus is on the European Tour but he has not lived up to the expectations so far.
There were high hopes that Uihlein will make it to the Open. However, for some reason, he could not make it. He just did not play well enough to earn a spot.
Meanwhile, on the other hand, Dougherty, the three-time winner on the European Tour, was making a last attempt to revive his golfing career. The Englishman had a downhill career after his success at the 2009 BMW International.
Dougherty has been working hard to improve his form lately, and has seen a little success. It was expected that the local hero will make it through the qualifying rounds.
Unfortunately, his game could not click at the right time and another chance to play at the world’s most prestigious golf tournament was, ultimately, lost.
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